The present disclosure relates generally to water dispensers. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a point of use water dispenser that has a control system that prevents the water refill valve from refilling the water reservoir or tank when there is a leak in the water dispenser, and a method of operating such a water dispenser.
A point of use water dispenser generally includes a water reservoir or tank fluidly connected to a water refill valve. The water refill valve is in turn fluidly connected to a water source, such as, for example, a tap connected to a municipal water source. The water refill valve controls the amount of water supplied to the water reservoir. Water is preferably passed through a filter to filter the water prior to being deposited in the water reservoir. Generally, a faucet is fluidly connected to the water reservoir, which allows a consumer to draw water from the water reservoir.
A problem in the existing water dispensers is that an internal leak may develop over time, causing property damage due to water spillage. The maximum leakage with the traditional “bottled” water dispensers is limited by the physical size of the bottle. A “plumbed-in” point of use water dispenser, however, has a much higher risk of property damage, as the water supply is unlimited and therefore requires special design considerations to mitigate this risk.
For example, in the point of use water dispensers, if there is a leak, the water refill valve may be controlled to open to refill the water reservoir periodically, only to have the water reservoir drain again in a period of time over the floor of the home or office. If not monitored, a substantial amount of water may be drained from the water reservoir, which can cause relatively considerable amount of damage to the home or office. Generally, a customer will be very displeased since if the customer is not closely monitoring the water dispenser then a considerable amount of spillage may potentially occur over a relatively short period of time.